Improvement in grain-separators



J-. & E. C. NICHOLS & D-SHEPARD.

Thrashing Machine.

No. 34,071. Patented Jan. 7, 1862.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN NICHOLS, EDWIN O. NICHOLS, AND DAVID SHEPARD, OF BATTLE CREEK,MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAlN-SEPARATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34,071, dated January*7, 1862.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN NIoHoLs, En- WIN 0. NICHOLS, and DAVIDSHEPARD, all of the city of Battle Creek, in the county of Calhoun andState of Michigan, have inventeda new and useful Improvement inGrain-Separators, to be used in connection with thrashing-machines; andwe do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the construction and operation of the same, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, inwhich- Figure 1 is a side elevation;Fig. 2, a transverse section in theline so.

This improvement relates to that class of separators which receive thegrain and straw from the thrashing-cylinder on a long inclined shoe,(suspended by pendulum-rods,) to which a longitudinal swinging orvibratory movement is communicated; and to obviate the shocks producedby such rapid changes of motion in so ponderous a body is the mainobject of this invention, the several parts being arranged relatively inthe manner we are now about to describe.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

The combined thrashing and separator frame is of the ordinary kind forthis class, A representing the sills, B the posts, and O the hangingrails.

The feed-board, side tables, elevators, &c., are [not shown ordescribed, as they do not vary materially from such details in commonuse, neither does the winnower, with the exception of the mode(hereinafter to be described) of operating the shoe D, containing thesieves. the thrashing-cylinder is shown at E and that of thefan-blowerat F.

S S represent two side boards, nailed or otherwise secured, one on eachside at a proper height, to the inside of the frame, for the purpose ofconfining the straw laterally in its passage from the thrashing-cylinderto the endless straw-carrier. (Not shown.) Immediately below these sideboards an open frame G is suspended by two pendulum rods p p on eachside. These rods are hooked above to eye-bolts, which pass through thehanging rails G, and are made adjustable by being The position of theaxis ofv screwed therein, or, which is better, by means of thumb-nuts onthe outside. ends work on pins secured in the sides of the frame G andthe rods are adjusted in such manner as to allow free vibration. Thisframe G has the ordinary lattice arrangement extending its entirelength, (see dotted lines, Fig. 1,) and is provided with the usualseries of lifting-fingers for agitating the straw, which are Operated bythe vibratory motion of the lattice-frame itself through theinstrumentality of the attached arms I I I, &c., to the upper ends ofwhich leather straps are fastened, which connect with the rail 0 in suchmanner as to be capable of ready adjustment to give the proper motion tothe fingers.

Below the open frame G a shallower frame II is suspended by two pairs ofrods 10 p in a precisely similar manner. The frame H has a bottom board,and it extends below the thrashing concave, so as to receive thethrashed grain which passes through. At the extreme end of this frame,which projects over the sieves, the bottom board is out out so as toform ranges of bars, between which the thrashed matter is distributedmore evenly. Motion is communicated so as to swing or vibrate the twoframes Gand H simultaneously in opposite directions by means of thecrankshaft J, (revolving in bearings j j,) which drives the upper frameG by two external connecting-rods, one of which is seen at K, while thelower frame H is driven by the middle internal crank and theconnecting-rod L.

The crank-shaft J receives motion by a belt passing over pulley o from apulley n on shaft M. This shaft M maybe driven by a belt direct from themain power or from an intervening jack, or, which is more usual with us,by a pair of bevel-wheels, the driver being keyed to a longitudinalshaft, (not shown,) which couples with the tumbling-shaft of thehorse-power. In such case we drive the thrashing-cylinder by two belts,one on each side, (see dotted lines,) from overhanging pulleys, one ofwhich is seen at P, Fig. 1.

The vibration of the frame H gives a lateral shake to sieve-shoe D bymeans of the rods R and R connected, respectively, with the said frameand shoe by an elbow rockshaft T.

The separationsbetween the two frames G The lower and II are guarded soas to prevent leakage by projecting strips a a and h b fastened to theinner sides, but so as to allow plenty of freedom from motion.

The ordinary mode of constructing vibrating separators which receive thegrain and straw at one end and convey it to the other is to use but oneframe or shoe provided with separating-slats, lifting-fingers, orsimilar devices, and furnished with a bottom to receive the grain whichfalls and conduct it on an incline to the sieves. As the effectualseparation of the grain from the straw requires great length of surfacein the separator, it follows that such a frame is necessarily ponderousand unwieldy, the vibration of which produces a heavy jar and renders itextremely difficult to keep the machine staked down.

To obviate injurious vibration, we divide the ordinary frame or shoeinto two parts, as at G and H, and suspend each part independently,causing them to vibrate in opposition to each other; but as it requiresa much greater power to operate the sparating portion G than it does theconducting one H an equilibrium shaft T, rods R R the separating andconducting frames GH, operated in different directions by means of thecrank-shaftI audits connections, together with the agitating-fingers,the several parts operating conjointly for the separation of grain fromthe straw, as is herein specified.

JOHN NICHOLS. EDWIN O. NICHOLS. DAVID SHEPARD.

YVitnesses:

JOHN MEAcHEM, G. W. HYATT.

